


A Roll of Thunder

by aba_daba_do



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Gen, Non-Consensual Drug Use, transcendence zine 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:27:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26997436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aba_daba_do/pseuds/aba_daba_do
Summary: Who's ready for some analysis? Because, let's face it, I never write anything without an ulterior motive.When it came time for me to pick a topic for the zine, I was very focused on the idea of Yggdrasil and how its used in the fandom. I'm not sure if I dig the concept of a drug that makes a demon act a like a cat and making a big joke of it, especially in nonconsensual situations... but maybe I could make something rational of it in my own brain.I've put Fang and Dipper in very vulnerable positions. They're both confused and terrified, but recognize that the other will comfort and protect them. Fang recognizes that Dipper is also a person who feels fear, and this moment of seeing him completely unable to speak or rationalize, he is still able to choose her. And she'll choose him too.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 12
Collections: 2020 Transcendence AU Zine Writing Entries





	A Roll of Thunder

Fang woke up to the sound of thunder. Except it wasn’t supposed to rain that night. The day had been perfectly blue and dry. 

The thunder rolled again, vibrating through the room. Rolling over, Fang peeked out the small triangular window, not a single grain of rain panging against its surface. The Mystery Shack still felt unfamiliar to her, each creak and sway of the wooden floor boards like a mischievous whisper. She would never get used to sleeping there. Silver moonlight spilled on her bed, leaving the back corners of the room shrouded in the dark veil of night. The clock blinked, 3:47 am. Her heart crashed against her chest wall in an unsure anticipation. 

From across the room, tucked off in the corner, a pair of large, gold eyes blinked at her like street lights in city smog. The eyes were dilated, huge and unblinking. “Dipper?” she mumbled, propping herself up on one arm, the blankets slipping off her back and shoulders. “What are you doing?” 

A few of his teeth poked out in the darkness. A sound escaped him that she could feel against her bones. That was when she realized there was no thunder; he was growling. Taking a few steps forward, Fang could see his claws glint in the moonlight as he flexed his fingers. “Dipper?” she asked again. He eased up to the side of her bed. “What’s going on?” 

Dipper growled again, leaning uncomfortably close over the bed. His irises looked huge, like gold discs in the darkness of the bedroom. Up close she could see his face, each point of his hungry teeth. She could see the vague outline of his body in blackness. He looked small like a child, definitely having shrunk down in size.

The smell that radiated off of him was intense, like burning sage and leaves. She tried to cough up the smell, the dry, bitter taste slipping onto her tongue. She knew that smell and that dry itch that clawed at the back of her throat; they used to keep it constantly burning in the Sanctum. “Is that Yggdrasil?” 

The smoke from Yggdrasil could send a demon spiralling. It clouded their minds and reverted them to an animalistic state. The Exorcists used it as a deterrent, burning so much of it that any demon that came too close would be knocked out or confused by fumes, detering any demons from trying to break into the building. And now the most dangerous demon of them all, the one who nearly ripped out her soul, was leaning over her; snarling like a vicious and starved dog. 

She swallowed, trying to resist the urge to grab the knife she kept under her pillow. The pads of her fingers nudged against the hilt. In truth, Fang was afraid of him. Afraid that he didn’t like her and was merely putting up with her because he had no other choice. That he would kill her if given the opportunity.

Fang squinted in the darkness. There was clumpy, dried, red blood staining his fingers and sticking underneath his claws. At first, it made her afraid. The red mark of violence across his skin. But then it occurred to her, wherever he had gone, he wasn’t alone. 

It was common for gamblers to use Yggdrasil in hopes to drug up demons and make them fight each other. No one tended to survive those encounters. An irrational demon running on pure instinct was the most dangerous kind. 

She took a steady breath, hating the taste of the residual smoke in her mouth. “Dipper?” she asked. “Did someone do this to you?” 

He didn’t answer, but the silence was better than a growl. Carefully, Fang reached out one hand, and he retracted back against the wall, as if startled. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “It’s me.” 

He cocked his head at her pillow and snarled at it. He knew about the knife. She slipped it out from under the pillow, holding it loosely between her thumb and index finger by the hilt to expose the leather sheath running over the blade. Dipper snarled at it again, and then Fang let it drop to the floor with a thunk. “See? I’m not going to try hurting you. I don’t ever want to hurt you again,” she said. She held her hand back out. “It’s okay, you can come closer.” 

Dipper blinked, and then eased a bit closer until she could graze her fingers across his soft hair. He stopped, seemingly contemplative. His eyes settled on her. And then he pounced. 

He didn’t have any weight but she could feel him pin her down onto the bed, fingers digging into her shoulders and knees tucked against her chest. Squeezing her eyes shut, Fang tried to lean away as his face came uncomfortably close to hers. Then he nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck and growled again. Except this was different. It radiated from his chest rather than his throat. It was like the hum of electricity in an old house. He was purring. 

Dipper curled up against her side, one of his wings tossed over her. He cuddled next to her, a tiny whimper escaping from him, as if to express some kind of need. Fang let out a breath, and then proceeded to brush her fingers along his hair and forehead. “Did you need a hug? Is that what this is?”

As he looked up, Fang could feel the tip of Dipper’s nose against her cheek. And then he licked her face in one long, wet swoop. 

Fang grimaced and tried to wipe at the spit with the back of her hand. “Oh ew.” He did it again. “Stop it! That is disgusting.” she urged, giving him a little nudge to the shoulder. She couldn’t help the huge smile stretching across her face. It was very slimy (though she was mostly trying to process the fact that demons had saliva) but it also tickled. Then he leaned in and caught her hair in the next lick. 

Fang laughed to herself, still pushing at his shoulder to make him stop. “Ok,” she said to herself. “If Yggdrasil causes an animalistic and irrational nature… either you’re grooming me for bugs or this is some kind of affection.” He gave an affirmative purr. 

“Is it hard to talk when you’re like this?” He purred again.   
Fang pressed her lips together and looked down into the big golden eyes before her. “I can’t understand why anyone would do this to you. Like what kind of person is vile enough to drug another human, let alone a demon?” He pressed his face further into her shoulder, and let his clawed hands wrap around her arm, old blood staining her bare skin. She restrained her shudder. 

It was hard to imagine someone trying to drug Alcor the Dreambender. Any demon would be dangerous if they lost control, but he would be even moreso. She tried not to imagine it; how scared he must have felt when it first hit and he stopped being able to speak or think. The angry and terrified outlash as he struggled to find meaning and fought to escape. Unable to stop himself. The fresh blood dripping from his hand. “You must have been so scared,” she whispered, forgetting for a moment that she was talking to the most feared and dangerous demon in the world. One who had just slaughtered his assailants in a panic. And yet she couldn’t help but pity him, the demon tucked against her shoulder, confused and unsure but still desperate for comfort. “But it's okay now. I’m right here.”

Dipper curled in a little closer, his cheek pressed up against hers. She loved how warm he was, kicking away the covers because they were no longer needed. And every time he purred it settled nicely into her tense muscles. She turned around, as much as she could with his arms and legs wrapped around her, so that she could look directly at him. She ran her fingers through his hair again, which he seemed to like, letting his eyes fall slightly closed. Fang tucked herself in close, trying to nuzzle into him. It felt good to be close. 

Dipper often felt elusive to her. Like there was a thin pane of glass between them. And even though they could both put their hands on the glass, they would never really meet. But now the glass had shattered, and he was cuddled into her side, looking for familiar comfort. 

“Will you remember any of this tomorrow? Or are you too stoned?” He blinked, wide eyed and unaware. “Fair enough.” 

Fang remained silent for a moment, biting down on her bottom lip to shred a layer of skin away with her teeth. “You’re not as scary when you’re like this. Though, I guess it seems stupid that I’m scared of you. I just want you to like me and I’m always worried that you don’t and that you’re just pretending. And that if I tell you how I feel, it will just make you distrust me.” She paused, taking a moment to drag the back of her knuckles across his arm, just to remember that he was real. “But that’s not true, huh? You like me.” 

She felt his fingers twitch against her arm, as if trying to comfort her. 

“I like you too. I wouldn’t pick anyone else to be my twin star but you.” 

Fang yawned. Then Dipper yawned, mouth wide and showing off all of his teeth. Using the side of his head Dipper nudged her pillow back into place. He closed his eyes, the purring continuing to vibrate from his chest. She could still smell the Yggdrasil, though fading, stinging at her eyes and throat. 

Her dreams did not exist that night. While she slept she remained perfectly aware of his presence, his foot knocking against hers and his elbow starting to dig into her side. Fang didn’t mind this at all. It was nice. 

**Author's Note:**

> Who's ready for some analysis? Because, let's face it, I never write anything without an ulterior motive. 
> 
> When it came time for me to pick a topic for the zine, I was very focused on the idea of Yggdrasil and how its used in the fandom. I'm not sure if I dig the concept of a drug that makes a demon act a like a cat and making a big joke of it, especially in nonconsensual situations... but maybe I could make something rational of it in my own brain.  
> I've put Fang and Dipper in very vulnerable positions. They're both confused and terrified, but recognize that the other will comfort and protect them. Fang recognizes that Dipper is also a person who feels fear, and this moment of seeing him completely unable to speak or rationalize, he is still able to choose her. And she'll choose him too.


End file.
